Epilogue

The door opened, sunlight beaming in, highlighting the figure that stood at the entrance. I could have sworn birds sang just for him. The theme music that accompanied him intensified in the perfect Disney prince moment.

Reed walked into the lobby, carrying two drinks. He set one on my desk and leaned over to kiss me on the lips. Just a chaste kiss that tasted of his favorite peppermint mocha. “Good morning, boy scout. Have a great day. Love you.”

“Thanks, Prince. Love you, too.” I grinned as he waved and walked toward the elevator, sashaying his ass for me. Mmm, I loved that ass—almost as much as the man it was attached to.

It had been a year since our Bigfoot excursion. A year of having Reed fucking Dawson as mine. It had taken a little adjustment when we got back to the real world, but what didn’t? When we first showed up at work together, his uncle had had a fit. He’d tried to make it seem like it was bad for the company, but that got shot down pretty quickly. There was no power imbalance between us, or anything that could be deemed inappropriate. Printech had a public stance of being queer-inclusive and that extended to the work environment, as well as to customers.

Reed was never shy about showing me affection at work. He loved doting on me, bringing me things, sneaking down to kiss me, and inviting me to events I’d never gotten to participate in before. I was no longer decor in the lobby. People knew me. It was weird and had been a lot to get used to, but it was nice, too. I understood more about how Reed needed breaks from it all, too.

We would come home from work and his mask would come off and he would curl up in my lap, needing to be held and cherished. And I did. I cherished him with heart and soul. I loved getting to see the parts of him no one else saw and loved being the one he needed.

We’d been living together for the last six months, finding it too hard to go our separate ways when we both craved holding each other at night. Mornings were a different story. I needed to be in earlier than he did, and he took more time to get ready. So instead of letting it start our days off frustrated, we decided to drive to work separately.

It was the best decision we could have made for our relationship. He got all the time he needed, and I got to welcome him when he came in. I would never get tired of seeing that man light up the way he did for me. Of seeing his smile as he crossed the lobby just for me when I used to watch him walk right by and never notice me. Getting a good morning kiss at work started my day in the best way possible, and every night I got to go home to him.

I would forever be thankful for the team-building trip that brought me Reed in a way I would have never gotten to see him otherwise. And our encounter had become his favorite story to tell. It got embellished more and more each time he told it. I knew the real fear he’d felt, that we both had felt, in the moment it happened, but it was a treasured memory for both of us. A spark that ignited our hearts and bonded them together. Every time I saw a Bigfoot statue or mural around town, it made me think of our trip. I didn’t know if he existed or not or if it was some strange fluke experience we’d shared. But if I ever did see Bigfoot, I was giving him a big hug.